288/366 Little Japanese umbrella

14 Wednesday Oct 2020

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autumn fungi, British fungi, inkcap, Parasola plicatilis, Pleated inkcap

I didn’t know until I read the entry for the Pleated inkcap (Parasola plicatilis) on the First Nature website that this fungus is also known as the Little Japanese umbrella but it’s easy to see how its delicate pleated structure would suggest the comparison. These little beauties are a one-day wonder and you have to be up early to appreciate them at their best. Here, we have photos looking directly down at the cap, a side shot, and then looking up from ground level at the underside of the cap. A perfect tiny parasol!

201014 pleated inkcap (1) 201014 pleated inkcap (2) 201014 pleated inkcap (3)

195/366 An inkcap in the grass

13 Monday Jul 2020

Posted by sconzani in fungi, nature

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Tags

British fungi, fungi in grass, inkcap, mushroom

One thing about the rain, it brings out the fungi.

200713 inkcap (2)

This might be a Goldenhaired inkcap (Parasola auricoma), which can often be found growing on bark chips in gardens, or it could be a Pleated inkcap (Parasola plicatilis), which mostly grow in short grass, or it might also be a Bald inkcap (Parasola Leiocephala), which likes short grass and woodland edges. Though my specimen looks like it’s surrounded by grass, there were twigs, small branches and pieces of bark in amongst the grass, and woodland trees nearby, so the habitat doesn’t aid with identification.

200713 inkcap (1)

As I don’t own a microscope and don’t want to get in to the often complicated process of identifying fungi, I simply enjoyed seeing this little surprise that had popped up along my path.

Wild Christmas, day 3

27 Thursday Dec 2018

Posted by sconzani in fungi, nature, walks, winter

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Tags

bracket fungus, Cathays Cemetery, Clitocybe fungi, club fungus, coral fungus, earthstar, fungi foray, fungus, inkcap, mushroom, Redlead roundhead, waxcaps

I’m currently taking part in the local Wildlife Trusts’ #7DaysofWildChristmas challenge. This ‘is a week-long challenge to do one wild thing a day from the 25th to the 31st of December’. For me a challenge like this is easy peasy ’cause I try to live my whole life as one long wild challenge but I like to support these initiatives to help to inspire other people to put more Nature and wildness in their lives. Believe me, in a world as crazy as ours currently is, you will feel better for it.

For today’s challenge I spent about four hours at Cardiff’s Cathays Cemetery, hunting for fungi to photograph (not forage) in both the old and new sections of the cemetery. I figured that, after all the rain we’ve had recently, I should be able to find one or two nice things. I wasn’t disappointed.

The photo-bombing beetle

03 Sunday Jul 2016

Posted by sconzani in fungi, insects, nature

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beetle, fungus, inkcap, insect photobomber, mossy log, Red-headed Cardinal beetle, Rhydypennau Wood

During yesterday’s walk to the stunning wildflower meadows neighbouring Cardiff’s Llanishen Reservoir, I detoured through Rhydypennau Wood to see what fungi might be about. There wasn’t a lot but I spotted some inkcaps sprouting amongst the moss on a fallen log so thought I’d get some photos.

160703 photobombing beetle (1)